St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-09-19
Is THE DEAL SQUARE?
Public Comment Which Reflects
on Several Northwestern League
YEnnIhlS


If there is one thing which will bring
public sport into disrepute more quickly
than another it is the suspicion of crook
edness. Honesty and fairness are abso-
lutely essential to public confidence and
public confidence is the first element of
success in sporting affairs. Thus far in
the history of base ball it has been
singular and alone in the fact that it,
of all sports. has never been tainted
with fraud, and from this fact alone has
it been above the vicissitudeS of chance.
Public support of wrestling and pugil-
ism has ebbed and flowed, from time to
time, but base ball has never lost its
hold on the popular affections for the
simple reason that it has been above the
suspicion of iobbery. How long will
this last? If the private talk of the past
week be made public and then be veri-
fed, how many seasons will be ahead of
the Northwestern league? What valua-
ton can be placed on championship
pennant which shall go, not to the best
team. but to the highest bidder? Made
in the shape of charge, this is
A SERIOUS MATTER
and there have been already in the public
prints enough to justify the patrons of
base ball of entertaining suspicious, if
nothing more. For inStanceit is charged
in the Chicago papers that an effort was
made at Oshkosh recently to buy the
series of games from Duluth, and that
the same method of procedure was not
new. 1t was matter of current report
all over Minneapolis, in July, that the
series of straight games st. Paul won
from Minneapolis was the result of
bargain and sale; and, on the other
hand. it is now the common talk in ST.
Paul that Minneapolis is selling out on
its Southern trip for the purpose of fore
ing st. Paul out of place. 1t is also
we'll enough known in Minneapolis that
wagerS were freely made that the Min
neapolis team would lose three straight
to Milwaukee, which has just occurred.
Before this last series Minneapolis had
won four of the last six games played,
yet they now go down before Milwaukee
without an effort. In each of S Saturdays
and Sundays games
THIRTEEN ERRORS
were made by Minneapolis, and it will
be difficult matter to convince any
capable Judge of team that they were
honest errors. The situation in the
league is singular one. There are four
teams struggling for the lead and four
more which are out Of the race them
selves, and yet can decide which of the
four IN advance shall nave the pennant.
The temptation might be strong on both
sides to buy and sell. Is this being done?
There are several very suspicious cir
cNmstances, all of them well known to
the public. There has been a cOnspic-
uOuS absence of league umpires, and no
satisfactory explanation. Heavy hitters
have weakly struck out when hit
would have won a game. Bad Judgment
has been exhibited in quarters where it
was never seen before. In short, there
has been combination of suspicious
circumstances to form the foundation of
the damaging comment now flying
about.
THE MOTIVES.
/ have been very open in mentioning
that part of the alleged deal bearing on
an Minneapolis cap because @ayel am Mi din